Extreme cold in Russia has led to at least 24 people dying from exposure overnight as temperatures plunged to minus 30 degrees last night.
This is the lowest recorded on January 19th since 1927, according to the Moscow weather forecasting service. Temperatures tonight are forecast to fall even lower.
The four-day cold snap has led to the closure of many schools and businesses and the snapping of cables for trolley buses.
Demand for gas and electricity hit new highs as Russians struggled to keep warm.
The weather coincided with today's Russian Orthodox holiday of the Epiphany, and many defied warnings from doctors and priests to keep up an annual ritual that entails jumping into holes cut into thick ice on rivers and ponds to cleanse themselves with water deemed holy for the day.
The ritual imitates the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan.
Agencies